Dying Butterflies
by M-Maltesers
Summary: Honda finally manages to tell Yami how he feels. Shonen ai.


**Dying Butterflies**

Honda cast his eyes up towards the sky. The afternoon was still and the sun was beginning its descent into the horizon, casting strange orange and pink patterns on the few clouds in the sky. It was just one of those picture-perfect days, and the afternoon was perfect for sitting and doing nothing.

But Honda couldn't sit still. He was fidgeting helplessly. He looked across the park. There were children playing soccer and a few adults strolling around, watching their kids happily.

Anzu's words were playing over in his head like a broken record... If what she'd said was true, Yami wasn't going to be around much longer, and the thought scared him a little. Sometimes he asked himself how he had let things get this way. He honestly didn't know when it had started – his adoration for Yami – it just happened...

He took a glance at Yami.

The boy was crouched over a clump of grass.

"What are you doing?"

Yami looked up for a moment and then turned his attention back to the green stuff. "What's this thing?" He asked, curious.

"Hm?" Honda walked over and crouched down. "Grass?"

Yami rolled his crimson eyes. "No... I mean, what's this?" He shifted a little bit of grass to the side.

Honda smiled a little. "It's called a butterfly. Didn't you have those back in Egypt?"

Yami shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know... I mean..."

"Don't worry about it." Honda muttered, knowing he'd accidentally hit a sore spot.

"So... butterfly?"

Honda nodded. "They start out as caterpillars, then live in cocoons for a while, while they evolve into butterflies."

"And then what?"

"Hm? Oh, butterflies have a short lifespan. They only live about three days I think."

"Oh..." Yami looked thoughtful. "Kind of like Haga's Coccoon of Evolution?"

Honda sweatdropped and sat back on the grass. "No... a lot nicer than that thing..."

As though in response, the creature flapped its wings and flew to Honda's shoulder.

"It seems sad to be so beautiful for such a short amount of time." Yami said, peering close to the creature, as though to analyse it and ask for its opinion.

Honda felt his breath hitch in his throat as Yami shifted closer to him. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Yami, before he too was gone. "Yami?" His voice sounded breathless.

"Hm?" The ancient Egyptian pharaoh turned his gaze to his companion for a moment.

"I... uh..." Honda blinked, feeling his face reddening. He wasn't used to this... He wasn't ready...

Yami blinked, "you were saying something Honda?"

"I... I know..." Honda said weakly. He knew he was hopelessly tongue-tied.

Yami went back to peering at the butterfly. "I've seen these in jars once before... It seems so sad that they would be stuck living out their lives in a glass jar... It seems so cruel to restrain something so beautiful that just wants to be free."

Yami was looking at Honda somewhat expectantly.

Honda just gulped, opening his mouth again.

"You look like a guppy." Yami grinned.

Honda smiled weakly. It was rare to see Yami smile like that – when he lost his defences and just let you see who he really was. In those fleeting moments, it was as though he was baring his soul, just for you. His eyes twinkled with laughter and happiness and instead of his confident smirk, there was just a beautiful smile.

His smile was replaced by a smirk a few moments later, and Honda grimaced. Yami's guard was back up again.

Yami stood up, looking up towards the sky. "The sun's setting. I should really get home soon..."

Honda gave a slight nod.

"Do you want to-"

-THWACK-

Yami jumped at the sound and stared down. Honda was lying sprawled out on the ground, and a soccer ball was rolling away from him down a slope.

Suddenly a kid ran up, looking frantic. "I'm sorry! Gomennasai! Gomennasai! I didn't kill you, did I?" She was talking to Honda.

"If you'd killed him, he would be able to give you an answer, would he?" Yami snapped back. He wasn't good with kids.

The little girl's eyes welled up with tears and her bottom lip wobbled. "I've never killed anyone before!" She started to wail.

A young man was running up now. "Satsuki-chan! What are you doing? Are you okay?"

He reached them and looked down at Honda on the grass and grinned. "Sorry about your friend. Satsuki has a rather violent kick, and she still doesn't know it." He picked up the girl and put her on his hip, comforting her. "Is there something I can do for you to make up for it?"

Yami shook his head. Honda was just passed out. That was all. He waited until the two were walking away and then frowned a little, looking at Honda.

Yami patted Honda's cheek awkwardly. Then, getting no response, he slapped his friend a lot harder, leaving a stinging red mark.

Honda's eyes opened slowly. "Are you angry at me Yami?" He asked, a little confused. "Why is the grass vertical?"

Yami snickered a little. "You were knocked out by a three foot midget with a soccer ball..."

"Oh..." Honda didn't seem to comprehend what Yami was talking about. A sort of darkness was settling over the sky – the type that seems to veil the sky between the times the sun sets and when the stars emerge.

"I always wanted to touch the sunrise, you know..." Honda murmured quietly, staring up at the sky.

"Huh?" Yami sat back, confused.

"I always wanted to reach out and touch it... Then my sister told me that I couldn't."

Yami yawned. "I should get home."

Honda reached his arm out to touch Yami's. "Don't... Just stay and watch with me."

Yami nodded and lay back in the grass beside Honda.

The sounds around them were dying as the night set in. The wind picked up a little and made the leaves rustle in the trees above them, but the sounds of children laughing disappeared into the night, and after a while the footsteps of businessmen going home died out too.

"Do you ever tire of looking after people?" Honda questioned softly.

Yami shook his head although Honda couldn't see the motion. Then he changed his mind and sighed a little. "Maybe... I'm not sure what it feels like to be looked after... I just always look after Yuugi. I have to take responsibility of his friends too, because ina way, I feel like this – everything that happens to us – is really because of me."

Honda frowned slightly, still watching the stars. "But you don't have to feel like that. We're not all helpless, and besides, don't you ever want anyone to..." He trailed off.

Yami was silent.

Honda glanced over at Yami. The stars were now shining brightly in the sky. Yami's eyes were closed and a gentle smile was on his lips.

Honda pulled himself up off the grass and silently shifted so he was looking at Yami directly. Yami's hair was messed up from lying on the grass, and his blonde bangs fell around his face, framing it somewhat like a halo.

"Honda?" Yami didn't open his eyes as he spoke, "weren't you going to ask something before you were knocked out by the midget and the soccer ball?"

Honda's cheeks flushed pink. "Um..."

Yami opened his eyes and startled a little as he realised how close Honda was.

"I just wanted to tell you something... But I'm not sure... how you'll take it..." Honda's heart was beating in his chest so fast, he felt like he was about to have a heart attack...

Yami was quiet for a moment.

"I'm not sure if I..." Honda paused and glanced at Yami. "I just..." Yami was watching him carefully, his crimson eyes never wavering.

Honda slowly placed a finger at the side of Yami's face and trailed it down to his chin, before he dipped his head and tenderly touched his lips to Yami's.

Yami seemed paralysed by Honda's actions. But then he slowly reached up and wrapped his arms around Honda's neck, slowly drawing patterns on his soft skin, and leaned into the kiss, closing his eyes. Honda's lips felt gentle and warm, and the kiss was sweet and tender.

Honda slowly pulled away from Yami, watching his face.

Yami opened his eyes and smiled a little.

"I didn't know how to put it into words," Honda said, almost apologetically, his voice husk with emotion.

Yami simply stroked Honda's cheek.

"I love you Yami..."

"I know..." Yami looked away sadly.

"I just wanted to tell you, even if you're going back to Egypt... to the past..."

Yami shut his eyes, letting his emotions overcome him.

"Just like a butterfly... I didn't really believe in love before I got to know you... Even if you leave us in the end, at least you'll leave knowing that..."

Yami gently pulled Honda's face to his and looked him in the eyes. "I love you too... Honda..."

Honda kissed the corner of Yami's eyes, tasting the boy's salty tears on his lips. "Don't think about tomorrow... Just think about today..."

Yami felt Honda's arms slip around his body and pull him closer as they both lay in the grass.

"What if I hurt you?" He whispered, fear in his voice.

"Don't think about it..." Honda murmured into Yami's hair. "Just be my butterfly... That's all I want. Just be mine Yami..."

- M.M -

_Author Notes:_ I think this is a kind of weird pairing but I felt like writing this : ) I don't think I've read anything Honda/Yami I guess because it doesn't really stand out like Kaiba/Yugi and Kaiba/Jounouchi... I bet there are more of those fics than there are stars in the sky... Stars are just big balls of fire and gas... Romantic, huh? I think the idea of buying your own star is pretty cool – if I had money I'd try it!

I know the title's sombre, but I just liked the way it sounded so I wrote a fic about it! Please Read and Review! I think it's nice as a one-shot... I think it's better that way, but tell me what you think anyway : ) I guess it could be a fic by chapters...


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